Abstract: This work explores how to use an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) to offload the physical burdens of equipment from humans. This work formulates dynamic alignment following and compares it to position-based following techniques. ...

Abstract: An integrated highspeed valve switching and pump output control scheme are developed for precision maneuvering of underwater vehicles. Highspeed Coandaeffect valves combined with a centrifugal pump allow for precise control ...

Abstract: Terrestrial mobile robotics are crucial to a range of missions including planetary exploration, search and rescue, logistics, and national security. Many of these missions require the robot to operate on a broad variety ...

Abstract: Drilling systems that use downhole rotation must react torque either through the drill-string or near the motor to achieve effective drilling performance. Problems with drill-string loading such as buckling, friction, and ...

Abstract: Individual manipulators are limited by their vertical total load capacity. This places a fundamental limit on the weight of loads that a single manipulator can move. Cooperative manipulation with two arms has the potential ...

Abstract: Defect detection and localization are key to preventing environmentally damaging wellbore leakages in both geothermal and oil/gas applications. In this study, a multistep, machine learning approach is used to localize two ...

Abstract: Series elastic actuators (SEAs) are increasingly popular in wearable robotics due to their high fidelity closed-loop torque control capability. Therefore, it has become increasingly important to characterize its performance ...